DALLAS — Knicks coach Jeff Hornacek acts as if benching starting center Joakim Noah would trigger a tornado that would blow the roof off the Garden in retaliation.
Meanwhile, the Knicks have a tornado of a young center in their midst in Spanish rookie Willy Hernangomez — Kristaps Porzingis’ former teammate in Seville.
It’s time to unleash Hernangomez, start him on the frontline with his best friend immediately.
After Tuesday’s practice at American Airlines Center, Hornacek stuck to his guns. The coach will keep the same starting alignment Wednesday, including Noah, when the Knicks face the Mavericks.
Noah is coming off shooting “The Airball Free Throw Heard ’Round The World” Monday in Indiana. Hernangomez wrecked the Pacers with the same fury with which he demolished Boston last Thursday in a 14-point, 11-rebound tour de force that included a key block on Paul George.
“We had a pretty good stretch with that [starting] lineup,’’ said Hornacek, justifying the status quo. “Guys have been in and out since then.”
Hornacek routinely ignores the elephant in the room: The Knicks are 5-1 when Noah is out with injury. They are 15-25 with Noah.
Hornacek’s handling of Hernangomez is peculiar. After his impact in Boston, Hornacek managed to keep Hernangomez on the bench for the entirety of the next game, a loss to Washington.
Now Hernangomez — actually 7 feet despite being listed at 6-foot-11 — has three straight overpowering games under his belt. Hornacek seems ready to see beyond the fact he’s just a second-round draft pick and play him more than the 13 minutes per night he’s been averaging, though still not ready to start him.
“We’re looking for consistency,’’ Hornacek said, “doing it every single game. Willy has proven that. Three games in a row he’s gotten in there and performed with that energy and what we’re asking him to do — with the hard rolling.”
The buzz for Hernangomez, 22, is such that it wouldn’t be surprising if he is selected to participate in All-Star Weekend’s Rookie-Sophomore Game alongside Porzingis.
“If I have the opportunity to be in the rookie game, it would be — I don’t know how to say it — like when you work hard and they give you something, it’s present or trophy for me to be there,’’ said Hernangomez, whose mastery of the pick-and-roll is stronger than his still-developing English.
Hernangomez’s arrival to the Knicks is a curious tale. General manager Steve Mills traveled to Spain to get a closer look at Porzingis, saw his rugged Seville teammate with post skills and thought he’d be worth taking a flier on.
The Knicks bought the Sixers’ second-round pick (35th overall) in 2015 for $1.5 million and made Hernangomez a stash selection.
Last season, after he relocated to Real Madrid, word leaked that Hernangomez would sign with the Knicks for 2016-17. His playing time dwindled. Real Madrid wasn’t going to waste time developing him.
Hornacek’s erratic usage hasn’t deterred Hernangomez after what he went through in Madrid.
“Last year in Spain I had difficult situation, I didn’t play a lot,’’ Hernangomez said. “It was a great experience to be ready for this. I wanted to play last year, learned a lot. I couldn’t control that. I have chance to be on the court now and try to show my teammates I can play.”
Smooth in the low post, rough on the boards, Hernangomez said he’s put on 13 pounds of muscle since last season.
As excited as Porzingis was for Hernangomez to leave Spain for New York, the Latvian admitted during the preseason he wasn’t sure if Hernangomez would even play as a rookie.
“He’s coming out with a lot of energy running the floor, in great shape,’’ Porzingis said. “You could see that he’s getting dunks, blocking shots. He’s looking comfortable out here and helping us win games.’’
Hernangomez comes from good stock. His mother, 6-4 Margarita, is a former Spanish Olympian; his father, 6-7 Guillermo, played professionally in Europe; his brother Juan was picked in the first round in June by the Nuggets; and his 16-year-old sister, Andrea, is a rising youth star in Madrid.
Carmelo Anthony has likened the 2016 Olympian to Marc Gasol. Derrick Rose seems to have a stronger connection to Hernangomez than to Porzingis, saying Tuesday the kid “has no ego.’’
Starting Noah because of his four-year, $72 million contract compounds the mistake.
Hornacek explained the playing-time conundrum is because of the team’s “three-headed monster’’ at center, which includes Kyle O’Quinn. The wrong monster, however, is starting.